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A Short History of the Belmont Stakes
Harry Nielsen
Harry is a longtime horseracing fan who also writes about history, music, and science.
This 1868 print by William C. Robertson, titled "The False Start," features the grand stand of Jerome Park in the background. Jerome Park was the first site of the Belmont Stakes.
Library of Congress via Wikipedia
The History of the Belmont Stakes
The first-ever Belmont Stakes was held in 1868, making it the oldest of the three Triple Crown races. The race was named for its financial sponsor, August Belmont Sr., a successful NYC entrepreneur. However, this first event did not occur at the Elmont track where the contest is held today. Instead, the event happened at Jerome Park in the Bronx. Incidentally, Jerome Park is named for another New York City financial whiz, Leonard Jerome.
The race continued to be held in the Bronx until 1890 when it was moved to the nearby Morris Park Race Course. There it remained until 1905 when the newly built Belmont Park track in the town of Elmont became the new home for the Belmont Stakes. The race has remained on Long Island until the present day. However, the event has not been continuous, as it was canceled in 1911 and 1912 due to the short-lived prohibition of betting on horseraces in New York State.
When a Triple Crown is on the line, the Belmont Grand Stand is packed.
photo by nakashi via wikipedia
Development of the Triple Crown
The first horse to win all three of the major races (Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes) was Gallant Fox, who completed the feat in 1930. Even so, the term Triple Crown was not in common use until 1935 when Omaha (son of Gallant Fox) repeated the three-race victory. After Omaha's win, the Triple Crown became a household word.
The spacing of the three races has not changed. But before the 30s, the race dates varied, and on a few rare occasions, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes even occurred on the same day, thus making a Triple Crown champion impossible.
Transportation of Racehorses
Another obstacle to the development of the Triple Crown was the transportation of the horses, for before the development of the internal combustion engine, moving a horse by train was quite costly and not very efficient. As a result, owners did not take their animals too far from their home bases to compete in a race.
The Belmont Stakes is known as "The Run for the Carnations," because the winning horse and jockey receive a blanket of white carnations.
Because of its extra 1/4 mile in length, the Belmont Stakes is often referred to as "The Test of Champions." The two extra furlongs (there are eight furlongs in a mile) change this race to a contest of stamina and endurance. Whereas the Derby and the Preakness may test the speed of a young horse, the Belmont Stakes allows spectators to see which jockey can best pace their steed on the longer journey around the track.
What's a Furlong?
Even if you have just followed a few horse races, most likely you have heard the term "furlong" thrown around at least once or twice. In case you're wondering about the origin, the word can be traced back to medieval England, where an acre was measured as a furlong wide and a furlong long. Since there are eight furlongs in a mile, a square mile would contain 64 acres with each acre being 220 by 220 yards. Today, the term "furlong" is reserved almost exclusively for horse racing.
Secratariat's Amazing Victory at the 1973 Belmont Stakes
In 1973, Secratariat was involved in a neck-and-neck race with a horse called Sham—at least for the first half of the race. Then Secretariat ran away with the contest, leaving Sham in the dust and winning by just over 30 lengths. In the process, the horse set a world record for twelve furlongs on a dirt track, which still stands today. Since that day, all the Belmont Stakes races are compared with Secretariat's great victory. So far, not one horse has come close.
Air Horse One
Flying Horses
Today, horses are flown from race to race, usually arriving at a big event like the Belmont Stakes a few days before the actual race. This reality of equestrian travel makes it much easier for a horse to compete in all three races. In fact, there are even special airplanes designed for horse travel, which can transport as many as 20 racehorses at one time. Given that a thoroughbred weighs in between 1,000 and 1,300 pounds, these are fair-sized cargo planes doing the transporting.
Another sidelight to equestrian air travel is that now the Triple Crown is an international event with some horses coming from as far away as Saudi Arabia or South Africa to run for the roses, the black-eyed Susans, and/or the carnations.
© 2018 Harry Nielsen
Pimlico Race Course, the Preakness Stakes, and Maryland Equestrian Culture
Every May, two weeks after "The Run for the Roses," the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, hosts the Preakness Stakes, which is the second leg of the prestigious Triple Crown.
By Harry Nielsen
Kentucky Derby History and Trivia
The Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. This premier horse race culminates in two weeks of races, parties, and many other special events.
Top 11 Sensational Racehorses in History
History has its share of horseracing winners, some as underdogs, and some as sure winners. Let's take a look at the top racehorses from the past.
By Kenna McHugh
Secretariat: The Heart of a Champion
This article will looks at the stellar career of the legendary race horse known as Secretariat.
By Holle Abee
A Brief History of Black Champion Jockey Isaac Murphy
Born in 1861 to free black parents, Isaac Murphy became one of the greatest jockeys in America. . . and then white people squeezed him out of horse racing. Learn more about his story here.
By Rupert Taylor
10 Race Tracks Every Horse Racing Fan Should Visit
If you haven't been to a race track in person, then you're missing out on some of the greatness of the thoroughbred racing experience. Every horse racing fan should visit these ten great race tracks at least once in their life.
By JohnnyComeLately
Famous International Horse Racecourses From France, Germany and Australia
France has some idyllic racecourses including Longchamp, the home of the lucrative Arc de Triomphe race, and Chantilly, 30 miles north of Paris. Germany boats brilliant courses at Baden Baden and Cologne, while Australia has more than 700 courses across the outback.
By Rickrideshorses
A Short History of Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club has had its fair share of triumphs and disasters. Here is a short account of the journey to its sorry present state.
By John Welford
Rosie Napravnik: The Best Female Jockey of All-Time
Rosie Napravnik is on a mission to rewrite the record books when it comes to the success of female riders. However, she also would love nothing more than to be considered the best jockey overall.
By Kenneth Claude
How to Read Racecards at Horse Races
In horse racing, racecards are used to give information about the races and the particular horses running in them. Read on to learn how to interpret this information.
By Jeff Mallinson
Major League Baseball Teams: A Short History
Major League Baseball is woven into America's long and diverse historical tapestry. Here's a look at teams of today and yesteryear.
By Teri Silver
Famous Racehorse Owners: Queens, Knights, Duchesses, and More
Queen Elizabeth, grandmother of Prince William and Harry, is a passionate horse racing fan and owns a large number of horses. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson also owns racehorses, as does striker and former David Beckham team-mate Michael Owen.
History of MLB Batting Triple Crown Winners
Only 14 players have ever won baseball's batting Triple Crown, leading the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. All 11 20th century winners are in the Hall of Fame. In 2012, Miguel Cabrera joined the exclusive Triple Crown club.
By Brian Lokker
Competitors ride across 1,000 kilometres of Mongolian steppe in the world's longest endurance horse race.
History of National League Pitching Triple Crown Winners
Only 16 pitchers have ever won the NL pitching Triple Crown, leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. The winners include some of the best pitchers in MLB history, including 10 Hall of Famers.


See my guidebook "Photographing California Vol. 2 - South" for access notes. The road can be rough and the rocks sharp, so high clearance and tires rated "all terrain" are advisable. I experienced both a flat tire and a second tire delamination on my last visit there with tires not rated all terrain! Along with the flat that I picked up the prior day at The Racetrack in Death Valley, that made 3 tire failures in 48 hours, so I had to buy a complete set of 4 tires in Bishop the next day. I don't travel anywhere on unpaved roads without tire patch plugs, an air compressor (sometimes 2), and multiple cans of Fix-a-flat! Death Valley National Park recommends carrying two spare tires.
Using the internal interval timer, my Nikon D750 lasted approximately 3.5 hours of continuous sequential shooting on a single battery, producing 414 images. From those I selected some of the images with the brightest meteors, and merged the meteors into the one shot of the landscape and sky, to show where the meteors appeared during the sequence.
I've had an interest in space all of my life, and I've been an avid astrophotographer for over a decade. In 2018 one of the images from the sequence that I caught Perseid meteors in captured this bristlecone pine tree lit up by brake lights from a departing vehicle. With the background green airglow, it makes a colorful selection to include the brighter meteors in. Although the meteors were effectively "time shifted" into this composite image as they were collected from separate images, nothing about the image is created or faked; all of the meteors appear exactly where the camera captured them in this scene.


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Leonard Hubbard Dec 17, 2021
The Roots Bassist Leonard 'Hub' Hubbard Dies at 62
"Rest in Melody Hub," the band said in a statement mourning the loss of its former bassist.
Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Jan 20, 2021
'Tonight': Tariq's Irk List Includes Nooks and Crannies, Cheers
The Roots' Tariq Trotter shares some of the things on his "irk list," featuring random things he hates like people talking while he's watching TV.
Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Dec 2, 2020
'Tonight' Taylor Swift Parody: 'Fallonlore' With the Roots Feat. Chris Martin
In a nod to Taylor Swift's "folklore" documentary, Jimmy Fallon shares a documentary about an album he wrote with The Roots during quarantine.
Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Oct 30, 2020
'Tonight': 'Monster Hangover' ('Monster Mash' Parody)
Jimmy Fallon performs his "Monster Mash" parody "Monster Hangover," featuring The Roots.
Questlove Oct 27, 2020
Questlove's Quest: to Find Woman Who Bought Him a Turntable
The founder of the hip-hop group The Roots wants to find the woman who bought a turntable and records for him when he was 5.
'Tonight': Tariq Trotter's Mail-in Ballot Rap
The Roots' Tariq Trotter sings a special rap that explains how to fill out a Pennsylvania mail-in ballot.
Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Sep 15, 2020
'Tonight' Tariq's Irk List: No-Shoe Homes, Mostly Melon Fruit Salads
The Roots' Tariq Trotter shares his "irk list," featuring random things he hates like texting abbreviations.
the roots Jul 30, 2020
Malik B, Original Member of The Roots, Dies at 47
Malik Abdul Basit, an original member of the legendary Philadelphia hip hop group the Roots, has died at the age of 47.
Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon May 22, 2020
'Tonight': Jimmy Fallon, Billy Idol, The Roots Remix 'Dancing With Myself'
Billy Idol, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots remix Idol's hit "Dancing with Myself" with instruments found at home.
food Dec 2, 2019
Learn the Secrets to a Perfect Dinner Party From Questlove
If you're lucky enough to be invited to a dinner party hosted by Questlove, be aware that nothing has been left to chance. The guest list has been carefully chosen, as have all the dishes. The music starts off with piano-heavy tunes and then builds as the evening goes on. The amount and quality of the booze is also carefully...
NBCUniversal Inc. Oct 29, 2019
'Tonight': Random Instrument Challenge With Emma Thompson
British actress Emma Thompson and host Jimmy Fallon attempt to get The Roots to guess the name of random songs they're performing on instruments they've never played before.
NBCUniversal Inc. Jul 31, 2019
'Tonight': 2nd Debate Goes Head-to-Head With 'Bachelorette'
In his monologue, Jimmy Fallon jokes about the second Democratic debate competing with 'The Bachelorette,' plus The Roots' Mark Kelley gives an explainer about the candidates featured.
'Tonight': Jimmy FaceApp Filters Politicians
Jimmy Fallon puts the FaceApp old filter to the test and The Roots share some tips to beat the NYC heat wave.
NBCUniversal Inc. Jun 19, 2019
'Tonight': Wheel of Freestyle With Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda returns to face off against The Roots' Tarik Trotter as each is given three random words they haven't seen beforehand, like "Daenerys Targaryen" and "Pikachu," and work them all into a freestyle rap.
NBCUniversal Inc. May 16, 2019
'Tonight': Jimmy, The Who Perform 'Won't Get Fooled Again'
The Who joins Jimmy Fallon and The Roots to perform their hit classic "Won't Get Fooled Again" with classroom instruments.
Jimmy Fallon Feb 9, 2019
'Tonight': Beat Battle With Rebel Wilson
Jimmy challenges Rebel Wilson to take turns singing as many songs as they can think of without hesitating to go with a random beat played by The Roots.
Jimmy Fallon Jan 16, 2019
'Tonight' in PR: Watch Fallon Ride 'The Monster' Zip Line
Jimmy Fallon and The Roots' Tarik "Black Thought" Trotter strap on GoPro cameras and take on El Monstruo, the world's second-longest zip line at Toro Verde in Puerto Rico.
NBC Jan 16, 2019
'Tonight' in PR: Fallon Joins 'Hamilton' Cast on Stage
Jimmy Fallon puts a "Tonight Show" spin on "Hamilton" as he joins the Puerto Rico cast for a special version of "The Story of Tonight."
Jimmy Fallon and Lin-Manuel Miranda Perform 'Hamilton' Song on 'Tonight Show' in Puerto Rico
"Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda joined host Jimmy Fallon on a special episode of the "Tonight Show," which was taped in Puerto Rico and aired Tuesday night. Miranda, with a little one-time help from Fallon, performed "The Story of Tonight" from his Broadway hit. Another segment featured Fallon and The Roots' Tarik "Black Thought" Trotter riding "El Monstruo," the world's second-longest...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


For two hours on Wednesday, the internet lost its collective mind over the tactical battle between Barcelona and Bayern Munich during the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals at the Camp Nou. Social media was flooded with comments about Pep's bold plan in the opening minutes and subsequent tactical adjustments.
Pep Guardiola opted to play with 3 men back. Boateng in the middle, flanked by Rainha on the left and Benatia on the right. Bernat occupied the left wingback slot and Thiago Alcantara played as a "false" wingback, who occupied a more central area contrasted with a traditional wingback. Xabi Alonso played as the Number 6, that is, the defensive pocket player. Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller up front.
Lineups in the match's first 15 minutes.
Further up the pitch, in Barça's middle line of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, and Andres Iniesta formed a midfielder trio. These three played supporting roles by balancing Barça's shape when Lionel Messi or Neymar vacated initial flank positions to occupy central areas.
Specifically, Rakitic occupied the right central midfield (RCM) and Iniesta the left central midfield (LCM). When Messi moved to the central area, for example, Rakitic or Alves would swap with him, filling the space left by Messi. These switches ensured that the wide area or "half space" remained covered for the home side. A similar combination happened on the left side when Neymar cut inside, Iniesta moved over to cover the abandoned space. Finally, Jordi Alba joined in by running forward and stretching Bayern's defence from left wide area.
Up front, Messi had a free role. He would start from his move his position on the right wing, then move inside. Sometimes, he dropped off to the Number 8 post or moved to the central area and acted like a trequartista, or Number 10, as Barça's advanced playmaker. Meanwhile, Suarez was the central striker with Neymar starting from the left flank.
As ever, Luis Enrique asked his team to press high up the pitch into Bayern's back line and into Bayern's middle line, which got compressed. Enrique's plan was clear: Barcelona tried to force mistakes in the final third or force Bayern to play long balls.
Barcelona's high-line pressing at minute 01:42. Suarez pressed Rafinha, who was forced to release a premature pass to Schweinsteiger who was trapped in by 3-on-2 situation. Also notice Neymar and Iniesta interchanging their positions.
Bayern responded to the intense high up pressing by playing diagonal long balls. From defensive third or middle third, Xabi Alonso or Jerome Boateng tried to reach their left wing (Bernat's area of play) through such passes, relying on Bernat's fast pace. This strategy emerged as Alves happily moved forward, playing attacking combinations with Rakitic and Messi, which sometimes left vulnerable space for Bayern to exploit.
However, this plan didn't mean that Bayern easily broke through Barcelona's defence. For Bayern, the problem was clear: die Roten missed their usual creative power with the absences of "Robbéry" and David Alaba. Indeed, Bayern created only 4 chances from open play during the whole match, contrasted with Barcelona's 12 (three of them being goal assists). Thus, the majority of Bayern's wide area play ended up with wasted crosses.
Bayern's man-to-man marking vulnerabilities. At 12′ in a 2 v 2 situation, Benatia presses Neymar, while Thiago should be marking Alba. However, Thiago fails in his job as Alba finds his way through (marked by #2) and picks up Neymar's perfect pass (marked by #1). In turn, this sequence forces Boateng to leave his assignment (Suarez) to stop Alba. Fortunately, for Bayern, Xabi, unbothered by Iniesta or Rakitic, shifts over to cover for Boateng, dealing well with Suarez.
In the above image, after Xabi's tackle and ball recovery, Bayern restarted their attack by trying to hit Barcelona through the left flank. Yet once again, this effort ended up with a wasted header by Lewandowski, as Bastian Schweinsteiger released a floating cross to the Pole.
Ter Stegen as Barcelona's free man. Bayern press Barcelona high up the pitch. The home side's response is interesting. Their middle line (Iniesta, Busquets, and Rakitic) drops very deep, creating a huge gap between the middle and front line. The black oval area illustrates this gap. As Barcelona's only free player, ter Stegen picks the best passing target and his pass to Messi is great, since the Argentine manages to win his aerial duel against Rafinha (incidentally, Bayern's the shortest defender), which leads to a clear-cut scoring chance with Suarez in a one-on-one situation against Neuer, who brilliantly parried Suarez's shot.
Two important observation can be made about this this moment. First, using a central defender trio against Barcelona's world-best attacking trio creates vulnerability. For instance, there was no free-man to cover Barça's attackers. Guardiola seemed to oppose his own belief in positional play. Second, Barcelona outsmarted Bayern's pressing through smart vertical movement in playing between two lines.
Mind the gap. Barcelona create huge gaps between lines by combining vertical movement between the attacking and middle lines.
At 14′, Pep changed Bayern's shape from 3 defenders to 4 men at the back. Consequently, Bayern transformed their basic shape from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2 with a narrow diamond.
Bayern's 4-4-2. The shape after 25 minutes play.
During this phase, Messi occupied the Number 10 slot. Occasionally, in defensive scenarios, Suarez dropped deeper than Messi, helping to build a pressing formation with the Barça's middle line. Meanwhile, the Rakitic/Alves/Messi partnership on the right side was quite interesting with beautiful combinational play between the three.
Bayern changed their playing shape again with a diamond shape in front of the back line this time. Schweinsteiger and Thiago alternately occupied the central attacking midfielder area. In defensive scenarios, particularly when defending wide areas, Schweinsteiger and Xabi helped Rafinh and Lahm (on the right) or Bernat and Thiago to overload each wide area.
A moment of footballing brilliance. Barca's right-side attacking combinational play vs Bayern's narrow diamond, overloading the wide area.
In this sequence, three Barça attackers overloaded the right half space. Bayern matched this overload by creating a four player pressing formation. However, Messi found Iniesta to escape from Bayern's intense four player pressing. In a very short space of time, Alves took Messi's usual position on right; Iniesta spotted this shift well with a beautiful chop-pass to Alves, which was behind Bayern's back line. Another big chance for Barça, but again Neuer saved the shot.
In the second half's first 10 minutes, Bayern seemed to successfully hold Barcelona.
Bayern's middle line were pushed slightly higher. And when Barcelona built up their play from the back, Lahm and Thiago kept their eyes on Alba and Alves. Meanwhile, as Bayern's central players and two forwards pressed the central area, Barça were forced to play some wasted long balls. When Bayern regain possession (on their own right side), Lahm occupied the "half space," Rafinha moved forward on the wide area, and Thiago dropped back to pick up passes.
This change in strategy helped Bayern win possession in the central midfield. Yet again for Bayern, the big problem remained the same: without Alaba and "Robbéry," Bayern lacked speed and creativity. This deficit, in turn, wasted Bayern's middle line superiority, as Bayern managed to maximize their natural numerical superiority – 4 v 3 – as their narrow diamond faced down Barcelona's midfield trio.
For awhile, no major changes were made by the two tacticians. Until 75′, Bayern were strong enough in the middle to fight against Barcelona's midfield. The match looked like a draw.
A combination of Barcelona counter-pressing, coupled with the individual brilliance of Lionel Messi, altered the game. Alves' pressing and tackle on Bernat put Bayern in a confusing situation, leaving both Alves and Rakitic unmarked on the left side. Xabi and Boateng decided to mark Alves and Rakitic, which, unfortunately, left a huge space for Messi to make his shot for the opening goal.
The second goal was another brilliant moment for Barcelona. Bayern failed to overload its left side and Bernat positioned himself higher than Messi. Oops. A pass from Rakitic put Messi in the one-on-one situation with Boateng that went viral. At this moment, Boateng and most viewers probably thought that Messi would take a shot on the near post with his left foot.
Instead, he trick Boateng and shot with his right foot to the far post.
Apart from their inability to score, Bayern exhibited a promising midfield performance. Before the Barça's 2nd goal, the second half was basically an equal tactical battle. Bayern created some nice combinations and pressing to deal with Barcelona's positional play.
Meanwhile, Bayern's opponents were simply briliant. Luis Suarez, with his off-the-ball movement and impressive workrate, always provided another dimension of play for Barcelona. And of couse Messi was amazing. He was the real difference in deciding the match. Finally, Luis Enrique once again showed his preference for building his game plan around his almighty attacking trio, giving Barcelona another positive result.
I like how your Social Media Icons creep in on my mobile phone.


Mozilla Labs Gaming is the latest project launched by Mozilla labs. With Mozilla Labs Gaming, Mozilla intends to build games which is delivered and played on the Open Web and the browser. Through this, Mozilla wants to explore the wider set of technologies which make immersive gaming on the Open Web possible.
Test Pilot is a Mozilla Labs project to collect structured user feedback through Firefox. Test Pilot studies explore how people use their web browser and the Internet. If you are looking for ways to contribute and don't know where to start, Test Pilot is definitively the place you should think of. Test Pilot is an Firefox add-on you can easily install and configure.
Prism is another Mozilla Labs project that holds a lot a potential for the future. Prism is basically an application that lets users to split web application from the browser and run them directly on your desktop.
Contacts acts like a huge database of all your contacts. Contact is a simple add-on which seamlessly integrates with all you local and web based address books and bring all your contacts under one roof. Supported services include gmail, facebook, yahoo, twitter and many more.
Previously called Bespin, Skywriter is a customizable programmer's editor, written for modern web browsers. With Skywriter, you can enable "coding in the cloud" on your website using Skywriter Embedded or on any website using Skywriter Bookmarklet.
Personas is perhaps the Mozilla Labs project which most of you must be aware of. Personas are basically a bunch of Firefox themes which are quite easy to install and configure. There are thousands of Personas available with new ones added almost everyday.


The average persons core body temperature is 98.6 F (37 C). Human skin is a few degrees colder, being about 35 C (95 F). Heat travels from hot regions to cold regions, according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
Thus when the wet-bulb temperature, which is the temperature at 100% humidity, reaches 35 C (95 C) the human body can no longer shed heat (sweat no longer evaporates), thus core body temperature rises, and the healthiest person, (editor: 'even') sitting in the shade, dies in about 6 hours.
The rest of us (young, old, medicated, out-of shape, obese, etc…) are SOL at even lower wet-bulb temperatures. Adaptation would require living inside with AC, living in caves, or wearing cooled suits; who wants to do that??
At 35 degrees Celsius (95 F) and 100% humidity (at 100% humidity this temperature is called the wet-bulb temperature) the human body is unable to cool itself by sweating, since the sweat will not evaporate from the skin. As a result, the body core temperature rises, heat exhaustion and then heatstroke sets in.
A physically healthy person sitting in the shade, in a well ventilated area, is dead in 6 hours. Higher temperatures, and correspondingly lower humidity do the same thing. The very young, old, people on medication, etc. succumb to less extreme temperatures and humidity.
This video expands upon my last video, which explains how many regions around the planet are reaching these uninhabitable conditions.
Thank you to Gary Null and Kevin Hester.
Thanks also to super blogger, Robin Westenra for sharing this at See More Rocks blog: 'Paul Beckwith, Gary Null and Kevin Hester analyse the rapidly unfolding Climate Catastrophe'.
How hot can it actually get? What is in store for us? When you combine the heat domes sitting over many countries with high humidity, many areas around the planet will soon reach the deadly 35 C (95 F) 100% humidity (wet bulb temperature) or equivalent situation whereby a perfectly healthy person outside, in a well ventilated area, in the shade will die from the heat in 6 hours.
Most people, like the very young, the elderly, and the rest of us won't last anywhere as long, at even lower temperatures. I discuss the latest peer-reviewed science on how parts of high-risk regions in the North China Plains, Middle East, and South Asia will soon be rendered uninhabitable by combined heat and humidity.
The majority of land masses are in the northern hemisphere, along with the majority of human populations. However, we can never forget the Southern Hemisphere, and the enormous mass of ice that sits on Antarctica.
With Arctic Temperature Amplification, mostly from an increase in absorbed sunlight due to darkening from snow and ice decline, more heat travels from the equator to the Southern Hemisphere, with important consequences to air and water circulation around Antarctica.
It is vital to understand how an Arctic Blue Ocean situation will impact glacier mass in Antarctica, and thus sea-level rise. Extreme weather events around the entire globe are notching up in frequency, severity, and duration, as well as changing location, and many people are surprised that this is also happening in the Southern Hemisphere.
This summer's extreme weather events are simply a prelude to a rising tide of #climatechaos. How long before people demand radical action from governments?
This entry was posted in Catastrophe, Climate, Climate Change, Global Warming, New Video, Rapid Climate Change, Science, Uncategorized, Videos, Warnings, Weather and tagged Aerosols, Air Conditioning, AIRS, Altitude, AMAP, AMOC, Arctic, Arctic Amplification, Arctic Sea Ice, Atmospheric Rivers, CAPE, Carbon Dioxide, CDR, CH4, Clathrates, Climate, Climate Casino, Climate Change, Climate Mayhem, Cloud Condensation Nuclei, Clouds, CO2, Coastlines, Contrails, Convection, Convective Available Potential Energy, Convective Uplift, Ebullition, Erosion, Feedbacks, Ferrel Cell, Fractured, Gary Null, Geoengineering, Geography, Geology, Geomorphology, GHG, Global Warming, GRACE, Grand Solar Minimum, Greenland, groundwater, GSM, GWP, Hadley Cell, Heat Dome, Heat Stroke, Heatwave, Heatwaves, Humidity, Hydration, Hydrological Cycle, Hydrology, Hydroxyl, Hyperthermia, ice, Jet Streaks, Jet Streams, Kevin Hester, Latent Heat, Lifetime, Methane Burbs, Methane Gun, Mortality, N2O, Nebraska, Negative Vorticity, North Dakota, O3, Ocean Currents, Ozone, Paul Beckwith, Permafrost, Polar Cell, Polar Vortex, Positive Vorticity, Precipitation, Pressure, Radiative Forcing, rain, rainfall, Robin Westenra, Rotation, Salinity, Satellite, Satellites, Sauna, Sensible Heat, Siberia, Siberian, Siberian Atmospheric Rivers, snow, Solar, Solar Cycle, SoundCloud, South Dakota, SRM, SSW, Storm Chasing, Storms, Stratosphere, Streaks, Sudden Stratospheric Warming, Sun, Sunspots, Superstorms, Taiga, Temperature, THC, Thermohaline circulation, Thermometers, Tornado, Tornados, Trigger, Tropopause, Troposphere, Tundra, Vorticity, Water, Water Cycle, Water Vapour, Weather, Weather Extremes, Weather Weirding, Weather Whiplashing, Weather Wilding. Bookmark the permalink.
I'd read that pretty much nowhere on the planet gets above about 31C wet bulb temperature, currently, due to some feedbacks which limit that temperature but that, towards the end of the century, the limit will likely move up in some places.


text:
using namespace vgui;

REGISTER_PROJECTABLE_FACTORY( CVGUIMarquee, "marquee" );

CVGUIMarquee::CVGUIMarquee( const wchar_t *pszText, const int ispeed )
{
	m_pszText = NULL;
	Q_snprintf( m_szFont, sizeof( m_szFont ), "default" );

	SetText( pszText );
	SetMoveSpeed( ispeed );

	m_Font = 0;
	m_flCurOffset = 0;
}

CVGUIMarquee::~CVGUIMarquee()
{
	delete [] m_pszText;
}

void CVGUIMarquee::SetText( const wchar_t *pszText )
{
	delete [] m_pszText;

	if ( pszText == NULL || *pszText == '\0' )
	{
		pszText = NULL;
		return;
	}

	int textLen = Q_wcslen( pszText ) + 1;
	m_pszText = new wchar_t[ textLen ];
	Q_wcsncpy( m_pszText, pszText, textLen * sizeof( wchar_t ) );
}

void CVGUIMarquee::SetFont( vgui::HFont font )
{
	m_Font = font;
}

void CVGUIMarquee::SetMoveSpeed( const float flspeed )
{
	m_flMoveDir = flspeed;
}

void CVGUIMarquee::ApplySchemeSettings( vgui::IScheme *scheme )
{
	BaseClass::ApplySchemeSettings( scheme );
	m_Font = scheme->GetFont( m_szFont );
}

void CVGUIMarquee::ApplyConfig( KeyValues *pKV )
{
	BaseClass::ApplyConfig( pKV );

	SetText( pKV->GetWString( "text", L"No text in marquee script!" ) );
	SetMoveSpeed( pKV->GetFloat( "speed" ) );
	Q_snprintf( m_szFont, sizeof( m_szFont ), "%s", pKV->GetString( "font", m_szFont ) );
}

void CVGUIMarquee::Paint()
{
	BaseClass::Paint();

	if ( m_pszText == NULL )
		return;

	int w, t;
	GetSize( w, t );

	int strWidth, strTall;
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		surface()->DrawPrintText( m_pszText, Q_wcslen( m_pszText ) );

		iWalk += strWidth;
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}

void CVGUIMarquee::OnThink()
{
	if ( m_pszText == NULL )
		return;

	int strWidth, strTall;
	surface()->GetTextSize( m_Font, m_pszText, strWidth, strTall );

	if ( strWidth < 1 )
		return;

	m_flCurOffset += m_flMoveDir * gpGlobals->frametime;

	while ( abs( m_flCurOffset ) > strWidth )
		m_flCurOffset -= strWidth * Sign( m_flCurOffset );
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The best way to win? Be better. How much better?
The Weekend Journal shared a great piece about the Superstar effect – how some stars are so much better than everyone else in the field that they literally crush their competition before the game/match/negotiation begins.
When you play Bobby, it is not a question of whether you win or lose. It is a question of whether you survive.
These superstar competitors are so significantly better that opponents essentially give up. Whereas in a "normal" competitive setting you can expect several players to push for the win, if a superstar is present the competitors on average slink back. It is not simply a reality of the superstar outperforming – the superstar's actual game day performance is less material. It is that the would-be competitors actually play/perform worse than if the superstar were not present.
By analyzing PGA Tour data, Jennifer Brown of Northwestern University's Kellogg School has determined that players take on average .8 MORE strokes when Tiger Woods is entered in the tournament. Many Tournaments are won and lost over 1 stroke.
From personal experience watching PGA Tour events on the ground last Spring/Summer I noticed the leaderboard effect. As a golfer landed on the top of the leaderboard, he became more likely to spectacularly unwind. At first I suspected it had to do with the increase scrutiny. You need not see the leaderboard to understand who is in the lead, just watch the camera crews. The crews will scramble to get every inch of play by the current leader. I'm sure it changes the way you play to have a camera crew up your shorts all of a sudden.
But it wasn't simply the camera crews that caused the anxiety. Consider, as a player gained leader status he was more likely to play with Tiger the next round – an unpleasant experience from what I understand. If you think Tiger can beat you, he already has.
Comparing SAT results based on testing venues across all 50 states, researchers have determined that students who test in larger groups did worse. It is speculated that the increased competition and knowledge of the competition led to less motivation.
Some of this is insurmountable. Do we really want to provide private testing pods for taking the SAT?
But is speaks volumes of the nonverbal influence your peers have. Simply the sight of your peers doing the work you hope to do best may be enough to cause you to give up. So how do we set up our students for success?
Students/golfers/performers do their best work when they have gone through the process of mastering the content and then allowing their unconscious minds to direct and control the action. The more "thinking" an expert does, the worse the result. When expert math students are offered cash rewards for winning, they do significantly worse than when told to try their best.
It is as though the thought of winning blocks the actual ability to perform.
I've watched this in students and in consulting clients. A student who perceives his classmates as superior will often give up by the 4th class and either disappear or come up with a huge number of excuses why he cannot perform.
If only we could live in isolation….
By isolating a student – ceasing to read the GMAT blogs (most of it is junk – no one should read that stuff!), having him give up the constant GMAT chatter available on twitter or with his friends – he has the mental energy to concentrate on learning the material he needs to succeed. It isn't simply the distraction, but the increased anxiety about inadequacy that drives his performance down.
But then, that seems to be what ails most of us, most of the time. So if you want to win, be the superstar, don't compete with one.


text:
Gabrovizza – frazione di Sgonico in provincia di Trieste
 Gabrovizza, oggi Gabrovica pri Črnem Kalu – frazione di Capodistria
 Gabrovizza, oggi Gabrovica pri Komnu – frazione di Comeno

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Home News Are Politicians Fooling Us?
Are Politicians Fooling Us?
-Montserrado District #6 Representative aspirant thinks so, calling them 'fake'
David S. Menjor
Mr. Kollah making remarks
The founder and chief executive officer of the Kollah Foundation (KF), Martin S. Kollah, has called on all eligible voters in Montserrado District #6 to be mindful of what he called "too many fake politicians in town."
Serving as the keynote speaker at the re-launch of the Child Welfare United International Program (CWUIP), Mr. Kollah said aspirants and incumbents rarely go around doing good except around election time when they are seeking political power.
"Even though I have come to speak at a children's program the message I have brought is really intended for you adults, who are parents or guardians of these kids. If you don't decide the right way in October there will be no way by which your lives and the lives of these children will improve," he said.
"During election time, we see many so-called humanitarians who, before this time, hardly let people into their homes, lest we say anything about providing a cup of rice for any family. Now (election season) is the time they come up with foundations and so many different organizations in the name of humanity."
Kollah added that if the present crop of 73 representatives were truly patriotic and working in the interest of the country, Liberians would not be crying for a better and improved education system, sanitation, healthcare, and many other services.
"Because of the high poverty rate in our country people get carried away and accept what should not be accepted, or acceptable. We have to learn by now, most especially after going through two crucial elections in 2005 and 2011," he said.
The Montserrado District #6 representative aspirant said his reason for wanting to be in the Capitol Building is not to amass wealth for his personal benefit, but to instead contribute to legislations that will bring about transformation.
"Today you have some of them who have returned from America and other parts of the world with people's money and are passing around renting houses to run their programs. If they fail, do you think they will stay on the ground as we who are always here with you no matter the circumstances? No! That will never happen because it has not happened before," the Kollah Foundation boss pointed out.
Commending CWUIP for re-launching the initiative to provide for the educational needs of children, Kollah promised the program his foundation's preparedness to provide scholarships for most the kids for the next academic year.
For his part, the executive director of CWUIP, Pastor Jefferson Dejay, said his organization is doing its best to help educate the many children of the district whose parents or guardians lack the means, adding that they also provide the children "a Christian education so as to help them learn and value spiritual things."
Beneficiaries of the CWUI-Program singing songs at the launch
"We have been in the business of helping children advance in their education and life skills development in this country since 1998, but due to the civil unrest that led to us losing everything, including our office space, we could not continue," Pastor Dejay said. "But we are back again to continue with our platform to improve the lives of children."
Meanwhile, Pastor Dejay said his organization has acquired 10 acres of land in Grand Bassa County for agricultural purposes.
"We are seeking the help of everybody so that we may start our farming project that will provide our children food so we won't have to look in the market for imported food items. We want to plant pepper, vegetables, fruits and many other produce that will feed us and our kids," the CWUIP head added.
He revealed that his not-for-profit organization presently caters to 250 children from all backgrounds, and is in need of more resources to expand its network to other parts of the country.
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David S. Menjor is a Liberian journalist whose work, mainly in the print media has given so much meaning to the world of balanced and credible mass communication. David is married and interestingly he is also knowledgeable in the area of education since he has received some primary teacher training from the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute (KRTTI). David, after leaving Radio Five, a broadcast media outlet, in 2016, he took on the challenge to venture into the print media affairs with the Dailly Observer Newspaper. Since then he has created his own enviable space. He is a student at the University of Liberia.
Elections Reform
"Had It Not Been for Those Women Who Stood Up…"
Syvester Gbahyahforh Moses May 25, 2017 At 2:47 am
On the off chance that Mr. S. Kollah wasn't running for the Legislature, hence not a "politician", his advice would have resonated. Mind you, no one implying that the Montseraddo District # 6 representative hopeful is ingenious, but some of the politicians he alluded to sounded exactly like him when they were campaigning too.
To answer the topic question; indeed, politicians fool voters because, more often than not, they fail to fulfill their campaign promises. Worse, many waste, mismanage, and misappropriate national wealth, hence condemning the vast majority of their citizens to poverty, depression, and death from preventable diseases.
But there is a solution to ending their polytricks: an informed populace. The Mass Media plays an invaluable role in informing the people, and holding those elected accountable. That's not enough, though. Libraries, schools and more learning resources for adults are required. Getting rid of mass illiteracy is a national security goal, by the way.
Kandajaba Zoebohn Zoedjallah May 27, 2017 At 10:50 am
S.Gbahyahforh!
How can "we hold those elected accountable" WHEN you believe "it is unfair" to hold Joseph Boakai and his Unity Party and their senators and representatives accountable?
for the fact pointed out that taking into account the truism that since Kollah is a political aspirant for an elected portfolio, his utterances debunks him as simply as politicians who are notoriously known to be power and money seeking hypocrites who conceal their vain and selfish personal interest behind the very DISHONEST CHARACTER (they also have) of their fellow rival or incumbent politicians! EXACTLY WHAT THIS OTHER CROOK KOLLAH WAS DISPLAYING IN FRONT OF THOSE KIDS.
As for the fact pointed out that taking into account the truism that since Kollah is a political aspirant for an elected portfolio, his utterances debunks him as simply as politicians who are notoriously known to be power and money seeking hypocrites who conceal their vain and selfish personal interest behind the very DISHONEST CHARACTER (they also have) of their fellow rival or incumbent politicians, YOU MUST BE APPLAUDED FOR PIERCINGLY DISCERNING THIS DISHONESTY AND POINTING IT OUT SO SWIFTLY!
FOR IT IS THIS VERY DISHONESTY THIS OTHER CROOK KOLLAH WAS DISPLAYING IN FRONT OF THOSE KIDS…BELIEVING HE IS "FOOLING" THOSE KIDS AND THEIR PARENTS.
Kandajaba Zoebohn Zoedjallah May 27, 2017 At 12:21 pm
Politicians REALLY do not not only fool voters or their audience; politicians also lie to their audience and voters.
Take the case of Nathaniel Barnes who recently left the Coalition of Democratic Change. He told his audience and voters that he left the coalition because of his diverse views on the philosophy of the coalition when the truth is that he left the party simply because he wanted to be the running mate to the chosen presidential candidate but Jewel Howard was chosen. And the laughable thing about Nathan Barnes' contention here is that even he himself knows when it comes to winning votes for the coalition HE BARNES IS NO MATCH TO JEWEL HOWARD!
He would have pulled out long ago when the coalition rejected his plea to be running mate, but he chose to be silently disgruntle until after a while so as to deceive and lie to people about the factual and true cause of his decision to leave the coalition.
Tolo Bonah Corfah on CDC Dominates House's Leadership
Jackson Neal on Ellen Regrets "Education System Is A Mess" Statement
Tolo Bonah Corfah on 'We Will Be More Robust…'
David Fallah on 'No More Excuses, Apologies, Delayed Promises'
Blamah Zoebohn Price on 'These Times Call for A New Caliber of Liberian Patriots'
James on 'These Times Call for A New Caliber of Liberian Patriots'
Julius Tarnue on Are/Were There Any Lessons Learnt from the December 8 Poll Results?
Sylvester Gbayahforh Moses on 'No More Excuses, Apologies, Delayed Promises'


text:
U.S.-Japan Council (Japan) Operations
TOMODACHI Staff
TOMODACHI Fund for Exchanges
TOMODACHI Generation
Apply for a TOMODACHI Grant
Q&A with TOMODACHI Program Participants and TOMODACHI Alumni: Colin Timmerman
Colin Timmerman is the Legislative Assistant handling foreign affairs and national security issues for Congressman Ted Yoho (Florida, District 3), the Ranking Member for the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia. Colin previously worked on foreign affairs and judiciary issues for Senator Charles Grassley (Republican, Iowa) and former Senator Jeff Flake (Republican, Arizona), and has an established professional and academic background in East Asian affairs and Japanese language. He has also participated in past TOMODACHI programs, including the TOMODACHI Daiwa House Student Conference V in Chicago in 2017 and the 2018 USJC Annual Conference in Tokyo as a TOMODACHI Youth Leader Participant. Colin is an Iowa native and received a BA in Political Science from Drake University with a triple minor in Data Analytics, East Asian Studies, and Japanese Language.
The interview was held on August 23rd, 2020 by Reika Mihara, TOMODACHI Alumni Intern (2020) based out of Tokyo, Japan.
Q1: What have you discovered about working in politics during two and a half years of your career?
The beauty of the American political system is that anyone can get involved – a mother, a high-level lobbyist, a congressman, and even a high schooler. I think the beauty of the system is the accessibility. You have so many people from different backgrounds and experiences, and all those points of view come together to inform policymaking at the local, state, and federal level.
If you choose to go into policymaking rather than campaigning, you've got to learn how to cooperate effectively with other people, especially those you disagree with. I work every week with people that I have some serious disagreements with, but we still manage to get along and accomplish shared objectives at the end of the day. That's really how our government is supposed to work. Unfortunately, we live in a time where the two sides are finding it harder and harder to come together. I hope that with a new generation more and more people will enter politics with the willingness and ability to work with people with divergent viewpoints for the common good.
I think when you enter politics you need to have a clear sense of not only what your opinions are but also where your moral compass is at. When you work for a member of Congress, you are never going to have someone who you agree with 100 percent. Of the three members I've worked for over the past two and a half years, I have never agreed with any of them 100 percent of the time. I've always been able to find some sort of disagreement with anyone, but the more important goal should be to search for common ground, compromise, and agreement. There is definitely a time for standing up for what you believe in and not budging on an issue, but at the end of the day government is about reconciling those differences and softening those absolutist stances towards common action. So I ask myself when working for a member: "Do I agree with this person enough to point where I can support them effectively?" The answer has been yes for everyone that I've worked for, and it will continue to be yes for jobs I accept in the future.
Q2: We have had a hard time with many changes due to COVID-19. How do you think we can cope with these circumstances?
I think there are a lot of ways to address this question. You have people around the world who are trying to figure out how we cope with such drastic changes. But I have a lot of faith in humanity being really adaptable to changing circumstances. I think that we've seen that adaptability play out over this past year. I do believe that everyone is going to find a way to get out of this. People will just keep doing what they have to do to make it to the next day.
Q3: Could you share your story of how you became interested in Japan and why you stayed?
My interest in Japan goes back to my first year of college when I decided to take a class on modern Japanese history on a whim. Almost immediately I fell in love with Japanese history and culture and just about everything from the modern era. Then in 2017, I decided to study abroad for a semester at Kwansei Gakuin University in Nishinomiya, Hyogo. I learned a lot while living in Japan, and the experience influenced many of my views.
Now, I have the chance to put that experience to good use in working for the ranking member of the Asian Pacific Committee. I think that if you're going to specialize in a specific region or country, it's really essential to know what that place is like on the ground and actually meet people who live there to get an authentic view of the region and be able to translate that experience to an outside audience. Being able to live in a country also gives you a great opportunity to broaden your gaze, sharpen your critical thinking and reconsider some of your preconceptions towards other foreign countries.
Q4: How do you look back on your experiences at the TOMODACHI Daiwa House Student Leadership Conference?
The experience really opened my eyes to how many ways exist for getting involved in the U.S.-Japan relationship. The relationship does not center solely on military or security issues. I was surprised to see so many affect real change in the bilateral relationship through science, the arts, and literature, for example. It was really inspiring to see how many opportunities there are to get involved.
I think getting exposed to people who not only come from different backgrounds but also have very different experiences and opinions from you significantly alters your worldview. It changes the way you think and can strengthen or completely reverse your existing opinions. I think that's what was most valuable about this TOMODACHI experience. I had the opportunity to meet people from halfway across the world who were completely different from me while also sharing fascinating similarities. I would say that kind of experience is essential towards helping you become a more well-rounded person.
Q5. What does TOMODACHI mean to you?
To me, the word TOMODACHI means opportunity. TOMODACHI means the opportunity to not only establish connections but also create opportunities to build jobs and career paths and lead new innovations. It also means providing an opportunity to serve your community or a foreign community that you can now build a relationship with.
I think TOMODACHI is very strongly linked to opportunities for positive change in our world. It's really inspiring to see so many young people involved in that movement and taking advantage of those opportunities.
Q6. How can our audiences in Japan stay updated on what's going on in the U.S.? How can they distinguish the reliable sources?
The U.S. has a lot going on so there's no lack of news sources for you to look at. I think the issue becomes which publication you read. What I would recommend is reading a wide variety of news sources from varying ideological viewpoints. Even if you don't agree with certain news sources, you may still learn something that's going to be useful or help you better understand those with different opinions from your own.
I also think one of the most useful ways that you can learn about life in U.S. politics is to ask one of your American friends what they think and have a conversation. Maybe they'll want to learn a bit more about Japanese politics or life in Japan as well, so there could be a really cool exchange of ideas.
I think distinguishing between reliable and unreliable news sources is very important, especially when you realize that everyone has their own biases coming in. Sometimes the trustworthiness of a news source isn't so cut and dry, and reasonable people can disagree on that. However, I want people to make those decisions for themselves as I have faith in people being independent and critical thinkers.
Q7. How do you plan to stay involved in the U.S.-Japan relationship?
If possible, I would love to keep working on issues relating to the Asia Pacific region, specifically with the U.S.-Japan relationship. I think our diplomatic and security relationship is very important for the region. I am also very passionate about facilitating people-to-people exchanges whether it's at the diplomatic level or just informal conversation. I really think that there's a lot to explore in this relationship and I'm very happy to be a part of it.
TOMODACHI Initiative


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Chelsea boss Emma Hayes unimpressed with scheduling of Women's FA Cup final
Phil Medlicott, PA
3 December 2021, 1:33 pm ·4-min read
English footballer (born 1976)
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes wants Sunday's FA Cup final to be a celebration of women's football but feels the scheduling of the match could have been better.
The Wembley clash between the Blues and Arsenal is the conclusion of the 2020-21 competition that was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, with the quarter-finals onwards being played this term.
Sunday will mark exactly 100 years since the Football Association imposed a ban on women's football that lasted half a century. The match will be the 50th edition of the final.
It comes after an international break and is followed by Chelsea hosting Juventus in the Champions League next Wednesday and then playing Reading away in the Women's Super League three days later.
Hayes told a press conference ahead of the final: "It's mental. I understand the FA want to fit it on an important weekend. I totally get it.
"But, getting back to our welfare, we've got three games in six days, on the back of them coming back from an international break. I think you could have done that better.
"But it's here. I don't want the focus to be on that. It needs to be on what the women's game is about. We need to promote it, celebrate it and acknowledge everyone around it, past and present."
Hayes added of preparations: "The team have come back in, they've had a morning off. Training session for some, not for others. It won't be until tomorrow that I'll know what the team will be. Weird circumstances going into a cup final, but (it's) one I'm really excited about."
Forward Sam Kerr has been in Australia, playing twice against the United States.
Hayes said: "She can't train, we have to get her fresh. But Sam is a top professional and we have sleep plans, recovery plans for these players, and Sam will follow that.
"I spoke with her and she said she feels much better than she did last time she returned. She'll give what her best can be, because these players are used to doing that, even if it's not best for them. It's Sam Kerr, she'll be fit and ready to go come Sunday."
Hayes also said Pernille Harder and Aniek Nouwen are fit to be involved.
Hayes' reining WSL champions face an Arsenal outfit who currently, under new boss Jonas Eidevall, lie one point ahead of them at the top of the table. Chelsea, who will complete a treble with victory on Sunday, having also won the League Cup last term, were beaten 3-2 by the Gunners in their opening WSL fixture this season.
Hayes said: "I just think that game's so long ago. I look at the evolution of our team and we've got better in every area, not because we were poor, because it was the first game of the season, we'd been together less than eight sessions."
Hayes, who previously guided Chelsea to FA Cup glory in 2015 and then in 2018 with victory over Arsenal, said having the final on a "poignant" date must serve "as a reminder this game won't be banned again and is only going to grow and get better".
She was asked what she hoped to see from the competition 10 years down the line.
"More prize money, for everyone, not (just) the winning teams," she said. "We need more money being invested so it can trickle all the way down. I don't think it's anywhere near what it should be, and it's nowhere near what the men's game is."
Hayes also emphasised the need for more work to be done to encourage girls to take up the game, saying: "If we want to invest in our game further down, we need that money, as well as, I think, continuing to provide more opportunities at grassroots level, because girls don't travel to play football like boys do. I see that in the lack of diversity in our game.
"There's scores of girls who are not going to get on trains and buses to come to Cobham, or Arsenal, or (other places). We need more inner-city funded projects and to come up with better ways to create solutions for girls and women, not just all just modelled on the boys' and men's game.
"That for me is where I feel for us to go another step further in our game, we have to get it right. We have to have more diversity in our game."
English clubs dominate international transfer spend in 2021 with £1bn outlay
English clubs spent the most on international transfers and completed seven of the 10 biggest international deals in 2021, according to new data from Fifa
When football's laws are so inflexible, referees' gaffes are harder to swallow
When football's laws are so inflexible, referees' gaffes are harder to swallow. A zealous and over-literal refereeing culture is undermining the authority of officials whether they make mistakes or not
Neil Robertson through to Masters final after dramatic win over Mark Williams
The semi-final went to the final frame at Alexandra Palace
Team GB at Beijing 2022: Who are the British athletes to watch at the Winter Olympic Games?
A fully Covid-19-vaccinated team of up to 55 athletes will travel to Beijing for the Winter Olympic Games, which officially get underway on February 4.
How Bernardo Silva emerged from the darkness to become player of the year contender
The days when Pep Guardiola suspected the awards system in English football was geared towards Liverpool were probably assuaged a couple of years ago when, despite the Merseyside club dominating the division to end their 30-year wait for the title, Kevin De Bruyne was named PFA Player of the Year.


Bag of 50 x Sempertex Balloons in colour: Turquoise Green (code: 036) – balloons come in 50 count bags.
SKU: code 041 (64). Category: 160 Fashion Solid. Tags: modelling balloons, sempertex 160's, sempertex balloons, turquoise 160's, wholesale.
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text:
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK
Love For All Hatred For None
Official Website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK
World Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Inaugurates New Kurdish Website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Kurdish translations of the books of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and other literature available for the first time online
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is pleased to announce that on 25 March 2022, the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad inaugurated an official Kurdish website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (www.ahmadiyya-islam.org/krd/).
His Holiness launched the website from the Mubarak Mosque in Islamabad, Tilford, after announcing its launch during his Friday Sermon.
The launch was followed by a silent prayer led by His Holiness in thanks to God Almighty.
During the initial part of his sermon, His Holiness spoke about the fact that Ahmadi Muslims had celebrated the 'Promised Messiah Day' on 23rd of March and spoke in detail about how the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) had manifested the beauties of Islam upon the people of the world. As His Holiness introduced the website, he mentioned that this website was part of the manifestation of the fulfilment of the mission of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) to take the message of true Islam to all parts of the world.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
"I will announce the launch of a website today which will also serve as a means of taking the message of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) to the corners of the earth. This is a Kurdish language website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community."
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad further stated:
"The purpose of the website is to provide Kurdish speaking people the opportunity to read the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for the first time in their own language… The website will be launched after the Friday prayers. May Allah make it blessed."
His Holiness mentioned that Kurdish translations of the books of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and the Caliphs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will be available on the wesbsite along with video content for the visitors.
As the sermon concluded, His Holiness reminded Ahmadi Muslims about the urgent need of prayers for curbing the war raging in Ukraine which has the potential of spilling over and becoming a global war.
"I wish to also say about the current state of the world that [everyone must] continue to pray that Allah the Almighty saves the world from its destruction and gives sense to the people and that people may come to recognize their Creator."
https://www.pressahmadiyya.com/press-releases/2022/03/world-head-of-ahmadiyya-muslim-community-inaugurates-new-kurdish-website-of-the-ahmadiyya-muslim-community/
https://loveforallhatredfornone.org/world-head-of-ahmadiyya-muslim-community-inaugurates-new-kurdish-website-of-the-ahmadiyya-muslim-community/
Members of Majlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya from Norway have Honour of a Virtual Meeting with Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Keighley-district support for Ukraine is unwaning
Remembrance event for HM The Queen held at Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden
South-West Ahmadi Muslims Remembrance Events for HM Queen Elizabeth II
Statement of the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community upon the demise of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Messages of Support – 2022 Jalsa Salana (Annual Convention) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK
Ahmadi Muslims from Morden join the Armed Forces Day celebrations
Books Brochures Leaflets
If you would like to visit a mosque or find out more about Islam and the Ahmadiyya Muslim community please email us.
Email on
ExternalAffairs@ahmadiyyauk.org
@AhmadiyyaUK
International Site : www.alislam.org Muslim Television Ahmadiyya : www.mta.tv


text:
package combiner

import (
)

type Piece interface {
    Walk(func(string) bool)
    Count() uint64
}


text:
Q: Using FileTransfer API for Phonegap on Android download fails I am trying to implement the FileTransfer API for my Phonegap App in Javascript.  When I call it with the code below I get the following error:
01-24 00:36:10.495: I/Web Console(14802): Error: SyntaxError: Unexpected identifier at file:///android_asset/www/js/phonegap-1.3.0.js:670

Code to call download
var fileTransfer1 = new FileTransfer();

fileTransfer1.download(
    "http://www.domain.com/images/file.png",
    "/sdcard/file.png",
    function(entry) {
        alert("download complete: " + entry.fullPath);
    },
    function(error) {
        alert("upload error code" + error.code);
   }
);

I have this in my Manifest:

I have this in my config:

I have cordova-2.2.0.jar in my libs folder and phonegap-1.3.0.js is an included javascript.  I did some debugging in phonegap-1.3.0.js and the error is in the call to prompt:
var r = prompt(JSON.stringify(args), "gap:"+JSON.stringify([service, action, callbackId, true]));
It is returing "29 F08 FileTransfer() sJSON error"  this is passed to an eval function which of course fails.  It would seem I am missing something in my setup somewhere.  Any ideas?
Thanks

A: You need to have cordova-2.2.0.js if you are using cordova-2.2.0.jar.  They need to match. And make sure you have the appropriate one for android.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
NASA's Viking Project found a place in history when it became the first U.S. mission to land a spacecraft safely on the surface of Mars and return images of the surface. Two identical spacecraft, each consisting of a lander and an orbiter, were built. Each orbiter-lander pair flew together and entered Mars orbit; the landers then separated and descended to the planet's surface.
The Viking 1 lander touched down on the western slope of Chryse Planitia (the Plains of Gold), while the Viking 2 lander settled down at Utopia Planitia.
Besides taking photographs and collecting other science data on the Martian surface, the two landers conducted three biology experiments designed to look for possible signs of life. These experiments discovered unexpected and enigmatic chemical activity in the Martian soil, but provided no clear evidence for the presence of living microorganisms in soil near the landing sites. According to scientists, Mars is self-sterilizing. They believe the combination of solar ultraviolet radiation that saturates the surface, the extreme dryness of the soil and the oxidizing nature of the soil chemistry prevent the formation of living organisms in the Martian soil.


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Tag Archives: Facebook Page Layouts
Facebook Changes Page Layouts
December 15, 2016 Social Media OptimisationFacebook Page, Facebook Page LayoutsMarketing Team
After testing out new features on a number of pages, all pages on Facebook now have a new layout. The layout does not affect personal accounts and profiles, only Facebook pages. The changes did not totally take out any elements. They were merely moved around.
The new things that were changed or moved around in the rollout of Facebook page's new layout include features such as:
A square page profile picture with the dimensions of 160 by 160 pixels.
The page's profile picture no longer sits in a corner of the cover photo. It has its own space now in the left hand column.
A page cover photo with dimensions of 828 pixels wide by 315 pixels high for desktops. The dimensions for smartphones are 640 pixels wide and 360 pixels high. The position of the cover photo has also changed; it has been moved to the right.
There is a bigger call to action button. The call to action button is now at the right hand column directly under the cover photo and it is bigger and more prominent than it used to be. Calls to action buttons include "Book Now, "Shop Now", and "Request Appointment", among others.
There is a navigation section that can be customised. The layout has a new navigation from where users can visit the different sections of your page. You can customise this navigation area to show different sections as it suits your business such as upcoming events, videos, posts, and others.
The apps most important to you now appear on the right hand column. The page has a long list of apps on the left side under the profile photo, but you can choose three to appear on the right hand side.
You now have totally free ad pages. Prior to now, ads use to appear on the right hand side of Facebook pages. With the advent of the new layout, Facebook pages have become ad free.
The 'like', message and share buttons have also been relocated. They are now placed under the cover photo at the left hand side
Page administrators can enjoy the various options offered with the new layout by going to 'Settings'and clicking on 'Edit Page'. The Edit Page section is where users can customise the different sections of their page as it suits them, as well as edit the content therein.
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Cast, Recurring Cast, Season 1 Cast, Season 2 Cast
Oklahoma, USA
Hayley Lovitt is an American actress. She portrays Sage on FOX's The Gifted.
She has appeared in a number of notable television series, such as The CW's The Originals, FOX's Sleepy Hollow, and Cinemax's Banshee. She is best known for her role as Janet van Dyne in the 2015 Marvel Cinematic Universe filmed Ant-Man. She's not only an actress, Lovitt continues to do behind the scenes work as a production assistant on many shows, to name a few; Homeland, The Bachelorette, and Being Mary Jane.
Follow Hayley Lovitt (@HayleyLovitt) on Twitter
Follow Hayley Lovitt (@hayleylovitt) on Instagram
Follow Hayley Lovitt (@HayleyLovitt) on Facebook
Hayley Lovitt on IMDb
Retrieved from "https://thegifted.fandom.com/wiki/Hayley_Lovitt?oldid=21059"


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Mema Says Good-Bye
(Code: CHD115.HC)
In this sweet and comforting story, Emily and Mckinney learn from their grandmother that, due to illness, she will be leaving this world shortly for the next world. The three engage in a thoughtful and loving conversation about the special moments they have shared together and the transition that lies ahead for Mema as she prepares to wing her flight to the spiritual realm. Drawing its inspiration from the Baha'i writings, this book is designed to help families with young children approach an often difficult subject in a thoughtful and caring manner.
Cynthia Jaskwhich was a creative writing artist-in-residence at South Carolina schools for many years, and traveled around the state encouraging children to explore their love of creative writing and poetry. She was a mother of six, a grandmother of four, and a widely respected and much loved member of the Baha'i community of South Carolina. She ascended to the Abha Kingdom in Septermber, 2002.
Luthando Mazibuko, illustrator of How Riley Tamed the Invisible Monster, has had a passion for drawing since his early childhood in South Africa. He is currently a graduate student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he is studying to be an art teacher.
Author: Cynthia Jaskwhich
Illustrator: Luthando Mazibuko
Publisher: Bellwood Press, USA


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McClatchy Launches Subscription Product for Political Obsessives Who Know the Presidential Election Will Not Be Decided Inside the Beltway
Impact2020 will tell a National Political Story Powered by Local Reporting
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- McClatchy (NYSE American MNI) announced the launch of an ambitious initiative to cover the 2020 presidential race differently -- by leveraging its local expertise to tell the stories of the voters and communities who will decide this election. Impact2020 will tell a full national story powered by local reporting and offer a standalone politics subscription product for political obsessives who know the election will not be decided inside the Beltway.
The plan to cover the 2020 presidential race was announced today by Kristin Roberts, Vice President, News. "McClatchy is better positioned than any single news organization to tell the real story about voter sentiment," said Roberts. "It is a story the polls fail to capture. It is the story that parachute journalists from national media will likely overlook. It is the story of how the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination and the presidency will be won and lost."
Subscribe to Impact2020 here.
A vast network of McClatchy's local political journalists from across the country will produce informed and unique political news and commentary on a variety of platforms including digital, video, podcast and a daily newsletter, launching exactly one year before the presidential election. Reporters and editors in Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, California, Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky will contribute to McClatchy's political reporting effort. Together with the core politics team in McClatchy'sWashington Bureau, the team will offer an outside-the-beltway perspective as well as breaking news, delivering exclusives, and providing smarter and faster analyses to help dominate coverage of key states.
The journalists who will produce election-year coverage work for more than a dozen McClatchy local news brands across the country, guided by experienced politics editors such as Jordan Schrader at Raleigh's News & Observer in North Carolina and Amy Chance at The Sacramento Bee. The reporters include Jim Morrill at The Charlotte Observerand Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, Will Doran and Colin Campbell at the N&O; Anna M. Tinsley, Tessa Weinberg and Bud Kennedy at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Jason Hancock and Jonathan Shorman at The Kansas City Star; Sophia Bollag, Hannah Wiley and Bryan Anderson in California; David Smiley at the Miami Herald in Florida; Daniel Desrocher at the Lexington Herald-Leader; and Maayan Schechter, Avery Wilksand Joe Bustos at The State in South Carolina's capital of Columbia. These reporters will work in collaboration with McClatchy's core Washington-based politics team of Toby Zakaria, McClatchyDC managing editor; Politics Editor Adam Wollner; political correspondents Alex Roarty, Dave Catanese and Emily Cadei; data reporter Ben Wieder; and White House correspondents Francesca Chambers and Michael Wilner. Their work will be complemented by a team of talented opinion writers led by Colleen Nelson, McClatchy's opinion editor based at The Kansas City Star.
One of the key strategies driving McClatchy's coverage will be reporting the campaign through the prism of electability, which represents a radical departure from traditional presidential election reporting. Story selection will focus on key voter groups, among them rural Obama/Trump voters and suburban Romney/Clinton voters, as well as voter groups identified by McClatchy's political team and campaign insiders as critical to a winning coalition. The 2020 coverage plan will dive deeply into candidate policy positions as well as strategies aimed at putting those coalitions together; it's a strategy that will be driven by insight on the ground about voter sentiment rather than polls or the story of the day out of Washington.
"We'll refrain from chasing the daily tweet or the latest poll," said Roberts. "Our commitment is to pursue stories that, during the primary, concentrate on examining the coalition a Democrat might need to defeat President Trump, and during the general election, examine the coalition-building on both sides," said Roberts. "This concentrated effort will help differentiate McClatchy's news reporting over the next 12 months from other media outlets covering the campaigns."
McClatchy will offer a free, daily election-focused newsletter designed for deeply engaged political enthusiasts around the country — people who are just as eager to know how Florida will vote as they are North Carolina, Texas and other increasingly critical states, such as Pennsylvania. The Impact2020 newsletter, which launches today, will feature the best political coverage from McClatchy's reporters along with a curated collection of important stories from other reputable local news sources. Reflecting our commitment to elevating local journalism, our newsletter will regularly identify the most well-sourced local reporters to follow as the primary moves from state to state. In addition, as part of McClatchy's election-year coverage, it has relaunched its weekly politics podcast, "Beyond the Bubble," to take listeners inside the Democratic primary and the race for the White House.
About McClatchy
McClatchy operates 30 media companies in 14 states, providing each of its communities with strong independent local journalism in the public interest and advertising services in a wide array of digital and print formats. McClatchy publishes iconic local brands including the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News & Observer, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. McClatchy is headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., and listed on the New York Stock Exchange American under the symbol MNI. #ReadLocal
jsegal@mcclatchy.com
O) 202-383-6085
M) 202-271-8880
View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcclatchy-launches-subscription-product-for-political-obsessives-who-know-the-presidential-election-will-not-be-decided-inside-the-beltway-300951290.html
SOURCE McClatchy


Ok let me tell you a little bit about this croissants, my daughter is a #1 fan of them and she is always asking me to make croissants for her every single day, so one day I went shopping and found a box with 5 cans of pillsbury crescents roll, amazing. Well, since that day I bean making all kinds of fillings and shapes with this rolls.
And is great for an easy afternoon snack.
This recipe in particular is her favorite and I super happy to share it with you, I know it is not a from scratch recipe but on an every day basis we don't have time to make the dough and wait.
I hope you like and don't forget to leave me a comment after you make it.
Open the can and separate the croissants, brush melted butter on both sides and sprinkle the sesame seed, one tablespoon on each side, form the croissants.
Place on a baking tray and bake for 11 minutes.
This entry was posted in #EasySnacks and tagged breads, easy, snacks by Kathia Rodriguez. Bookmark the permalink.


How Can You Use Email to Build Consumer Trust?
Struggling to earn loyalty from customers? Want new prospects to feel comfortable with your brand? In this video, Phil Davis shares how brands can use email to delight and inform customers in a way that drives consumer trust and engagement, and how to avoid annoying your subscribers.
To build customer trust, you need to start with the right data. Try Email Intelligence free today to get the information you need.


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Review – Who Are You (2013)
January 7, 2017 January 18, 2017 / Lady Divine
So simple. So small. So satisfying. This drama knows its place in the middle, making itself the "just right" cozy bed for Goldie Locks. It's a compact little cupcake of a mystery-romance with a low-calorie supernatural sugar coating. It's not enough to make a meal of. It's just a tasty little treat.
Like a paper back romance you take to the beach with the full intention of leaving it behind in the hotel – you'll enjoy this drama if you don't have high expectations.
Overall Rating – 7.5/10
SPOILERS FOLLOW
This drama revolves around a cop, So E Hyun, who wakes up after a six year coma to discover she can see the dead. Well, not too many… just about a hand full. Mainly, she can see her ex-boyfriend who was killed the night she disappeared into coma-land. It takes her about half the show to remember him, though.
While she's recuperating, she's sent to lead the small team in the police departments Lost & Found unit. That's right… basically she guards a storage room.
With her is our male lead, TaecYeon, who's also shuffled to the dead letter office to pay for some misconduct in the crime squad. He's a feisty little lanky thing with cute big ears and a goofy smile. You can't help but like the guy.
The other two employees of the Lost & Found are two young policemen just starting their service. They're adorable as the responsibility-shirking upstarts who serve only as comic relief.
Oh, and a dash of side-romance. One of our young policemen finds himself falling for the local shamen gal who is played by none other than the gloriously plucky Kim Ye Won.
Memory loss cop lady will attempt to piece together the mystery behind the night of her coma-inducing accident while the baddies will attempt to stop her. While this is happening the young goofy policeman will fall for her, her dead ex-boyfriend will serenely stalk her, and everything will eventually wrap itself up nicely in a bow.
And that's it. No more and no less.
Though this drama is set in a city, it is so insular that it feels as if it were shot on a back lot. There are hardly any scenes involving… other humans, dead or otherwise. The non-population is very similar to Master's Sun, which also involved an "I see dead people!" gal. There's not a lot of traffic, not a lot of people walking or shopping in the background, not a lot of noise. Just the small cast, moving in and out of the scenes as if they are ghosts themselves, haunting a previously life-filled world. This doesn't detract from the show, however. In fact it works in its favor. You don't get distracted by pesky reality. There are no other female cops to compare our lead female too, for example, which is a very wise move as our female lead is kinda a sucky cop. Actually, she's a terrible cop. She leaves her cell phone everywhere. She follows known murderers into isolated areas without bothering to tell anyone or have back up ready. She lets her emotions rule her, even if that overrules the law (she shot a child molester in the first few episodes… just popped his ass. Not that he didn't have it coming, but I'm pretty sure that isn't standard police procedure). She's not good at fighting. She's not a great shot. She's not even very good at solving crimes. Thankfully she has the dead to help her out.
As the cast is very small, you grow very familiar with them quickly. There's the four cops in the Lost & Found. You'll get so used to seeing their small office and the dark storage room you almost feel as if you are an employee yourself… haunting the show, perhaps. There's a few more familiar faces that are supervisors. And there's the always pleasant if not slightly strange Kim Chang-Wan who not only gets to play his usual friendly self but enjoys a small detour into the land of crooked cop and bad guy.
Making him the bad guy seemed too awkward for even the writers, who quickly loop-holed him out of his crimes and gave him a redeeming ending.
The suspense is very light, as you never really fear for the heroine or the hero. This isn't Heartless City, after all. You know instinctively that nothing bad will happy to the puppy cop and his blank-faced love. So E-Hyun wasn't given a lot to work with in this role. She didn't really have to act scared of the ghosts. She didn't have to be a badass cop or even a love-sick female. She just had to act vague and confused. So, well done casting directors. This was the right actress for this role.
Overall, it was just a compare-and-contrast story between her current love interest and her old love interest. As stupidly simple as this sounds, it was relaxing and enjoyable for me. The living boyfriend was charming. I liked watching him talk to himself in the mirror. I liked all his silly gestures and lip biting and second-guessing himself as he woos his mysterious pretty boss. He definitely seemed younger than her – both in age and maturity level – but I still didn't get that distinctive "Noona-Romance" after taste that so many romances involving age differences leave behind. They were a cute couple and I liked watching them come together.
I also liked her dead boyfriend.
They looked like a more traditional couple, in many ways.
A traditional supermodel couple. They both looked really beautiful all the time, enjoying perfect lighting and the confidence of a "natural look" that only comes out of two hour hair and makeup sessions (and good DNA). Kim Jae Wook is simply stunning… and we all know he can cry (rewatch Bad Guy). In this drama, he got to be more reserved… as in many of the scenes he didn't speak. He just stared longingly after his living love. All the backflashes that revealed their past relationship were like pretty music video scenes. And Kim Jae Wook finally got to show off his pearly whites. He's smiling and giddy with love… well, he was when he was alive, at least. Our lead actress also looks best when smiling – playing a happy character seems most natural for her. Definitely brightened her otherwise dim bulb.
It's not complicated. It's just an indulgent treat. Unlike most mediocre romances, I actually watched every episode of this short 16 episode series. The pacing was just fast enough to keep me interested and just slow enough to keep me comfortable. Recommended for viewing after either a very silly romance or a very serious romance. It will taste better if you've just gorged on a more filling drama before.
K-Drama Review, Kim Jae-Wook, Korean Drama, Korean Drama Review, So E-Hyun, TaecYeon, Who Are You, Who Are You Korean Drama, Who Are You? 2013
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By: Jamie
Environmental Scorecard: Rediscovering Hong Kong's Climate Policy Direction
#Air, #Building Efficiency, #Consumption & Lifestyle, #Energy, #Green Economy, #Green Finance, #Mobility, #Waste
Our team has long identified a lack of awareness among Hong Kong people around not only the issues of climate change but the urgency of it. Earlier this year, Civic Exchange published the results of a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) on "People's Attitudes towards Climate Change": only 16% of people in Hong Kong thought climate change was more important than other livelihood issues. [1]
In many ways, the above finding is hardly inconceivable. Despite the wealth of science out there to support the effects of climate change in Hong Kong, these sentiments have not been translated adequately into robust action. Environmental organisations and local communities need to acknowledge that new and innovative methods of public engagement are necessary if we are to push for more ambitious reforms within the city.
A few months ago, our team began developing an Environmental Scorecard to rate different political parties on their environmental platform. Research like this is first of its kind in Hong Kong. We aim to assess political parties' commitment to pressing environmental issues and sustainability challenges, to pick out areas of strengths and weaknesses, and to inform the party candidates what areas to address if they want to strive towards a green recovery for Hong Kong. Our team looked into government publications and reports, party manifestos, advocacy work and initiatives, Legislative Council speeches and voting records. After rounds of reviews, we turned our findings into a scorecard.
The scorecard's framework enables easy comparison between the parties and is an effective way of communicating our evaluations and recommendations to them. However, the recent delay in LegCo election have resulted our decision to only be sharing the Scorecard results with the individual candidates and parties. We will continue to engage with candidates with their progress throughout. Although an ongoing pandemic has challenged our city, green recovery is key to our work in fighting climate change, and it shall never stall.
It is no question that climate change is a complex issue; its causes and effects are not easily understood. In our latest report, we found that it is possible to reduce carbon emissions by 90% if we act now. These reductions are only possible if people are concerned about the environment and committed to making Hong Kong a better place to live. To bring about responsive, effective and long-lasting changes, both at the individual and collective levels, we need committed leaders who are willing to spearhead environmental action within their communities. Hence, the Scorecard suggests basic yet constructive points of departure for candidates and parties to consider. It seeks to capture the expansive nature of climate action and climate justice; and if carefully considered and adopted, will be good places to start progressing Hong Kong to a net-zero emissions society.
There is no silver bullet to solving the global climate crisis today. Clearly, the Scorecard itself will not do it all for awareness and advocacy; but it creates the crucial intermediary step for local, business and governmental engagement. It serves as more than just foundational information base, but also a driver for parties to formulate pragmatic steps towards cultivating an environmental culture within communities.
"To speed up its policy-making, the Hong Kong government should borrow elements of the well-researched ideas and reports of the civil society groups and think-tanks that have been working on this for years," writes Wendi Li for the Asia & Pacific Policy Society [2] The HK2050isNow team was launched in 2019 precisely for this cause. Our team is made up of a group of climate experts committed to establishing platforms for cross-sectoral dialogue and directing people to relevant stakeholders on issues that they wish to focus on, ultimately fostering networks for parties to enable them to acquire the capital and capacity necessary to set in motion environmental work.
Beyond working with political parties in crafting a green stimulus plan, we are committed to broadening the city's general scope of action and working with people across the vibrantly diverse demographic of Hong Kong, for we fully understand that ultimately, it is education that is at the heart of any meaningful climate action. Ideas without action are useless, but there is no action if there are no ideas.
By Curtis Lam, Civic Exchange Intern
[1] https://civic-exchange.org/peoples-attitudes-towards-climate-change-survey-results/
[2] https://www.policyforum.net/hong-kongs-climate-weakness/
Photo from CGTN


For people who are depressed, massage for depression is not a cure but may help lessen some of the symptoms and support recovery.
Depression is a brain disorder, and research has shown that the brains of depressed people look and act differently from the brains of people who aren't depressed. The causes of depression are not well understood, but most likely involve a combination of genetic, biochemical, environmental, and psychological factors.
Depression comes in many types. For example, major depression is disabling and prevents a person from functioning normally in daily life, while dysthymia is a milder, usually long-term, depression where a person can still function but probably isn't living a normal and full life. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which usually affects people during the winter months, is also a type of depression.
Trouble concentrating and making decisions.
The two most common depression treatments are medication and psychotherapy. Another treatment, primarily used for SAD, is light therapy, which involves exposure to a strong artificial light that mimics sunlight.
Touch is important to human beings – babies die without touch. Lack of touch may even contribute to depression. And, if a person is depressed, massage may help.
First, dealing with depression presents a lot of stress, and relaxation is one of the best benefits of massage. Depression can also lead to muscle tension and pain that massage can help relieve.
Lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol immediately after massage.
Increased serotonin, dopamine, and endorphin levels, helping elevate a person's mood, after massage.
Increased production of oxytocin, a hormone that reduces stress and promotes relaxation, after massage.
These effects may occur because the skin and muscles contain many millions of nerve receptors that are linked to the nervous system. Touch and massage can stimulate the nerve receptors, causing the release of chemicals in the brain.
The benefits of massage for depression are further supported in a review, published in the March 2010 Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. The authors reviewed 17 studies of massage for depression and concluded the studies supported the ability of massage therapy to significantly lessen symptoms of depression.
Plus, a great benefit of massage therapy is that it rarely has side effects, when received from a trained, qualified massage therapist. People who want to try massage for depression should always let their massage therapist know about their condition and other treatments and tell other healthcare providers that they are receiving massage.


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Archive - September 3, 2020
2020 Peace Corps Writers' Marian Haley Beil Award for Best Book Review to Marnie Mueller (Ecuador) for YOU KNOW YOU WANT THIS by Kristen Roupenian
RPCV Dennis Briskin "The Face of Iran Before…"
Browse archives for September 03, 2020
D.W. Jefferson
Another book on the Salvadoran Civil War that I recommend for those who read Spanish is "Dios Tenía Miedo" by…
The new Peace Corps Writers' Best Book Review Award is named in honor of Marian Haley Beil (Ethiopia 1962-64), co-founder and publisher since 1989 of the Peace Corps Writers newsletter, website, and book imprint. Following her tour of service, Marian worked for 4 years in the Office of Reports and Special Studies at Peace Corps Headquarters. She founded the Ethiopia & Eritrea RPCV group in 1991, and later co-founded Rochester RPCVs. Our first Peace Corps Writers' Best Book Review Award goes to Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65) who has authored three novels: Green Fires, The Climate of the Country, and My Mother's Island, published by Curbstone Press, and currently in-print with Northwestern University Press. She is a winner of the Maria Thomas Prize for Fiction, an American Book Award, The New York Times New and Noteworthy in Paperback, and Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers, among many awards. She is on the steering . . .
Palo Alto photographer publishes images of pre-revolution Iran by Karla Kane / Palo Alto Weekly September 3, 2020 Palo Alto resident Dennis Briskin (Iran 1967-69) has published two books of photographs he took while serving in the Peace Corps in pre-revolution Iran. Courtesy Dennis Briskin. When Dennis Briskin was preparing to move to Iran for a few years in the late 1960s, he had a thought: "Maybe I should get a camera." Though he didn't have any prior photography experience, he read up a bit, got a basic camera and, fresh out of college and inspired by Life and Look magazines, was on his way. "The best advice I got was, 'Film is cheap; take lots of photos,'" he recalled. The Palo Alto resident has now compiled many of his favorite photos and published two books: "Iran Before" (released in 2019) and "The Face of Iran Before" (focused on portraits, released this . . .
David J. Nemeth on Tell Your Peace Corps Story


Buddies Tommy Holden and James Crow started out in the summer of 2010 with the idea of making a healthier summer treat for their young kids. This came in the form of the Nice Blocks we all know and love. The business steadily progressed into coconut ice cream, followed by coconut milk with their Little Island Coconut Creamery brand. Today, this multi-category company has become the non-dairy coconut benchmark in both supermarkets and specialty stores with its Little Island milks and ice cream.
The recently launched 1L Barista Grade coconut milk has gained solid traction as a clean and light alternative to soy and almond in consumers' morning flat white, both in café and when made at home using the equally stretchable 1L Original variant.